I'm making quite a name for myself!

And not in a good way!

     Word on the street is that I have moved from chocolate afficionado to chocolate junkie.

And who am I to argue?

I have had a Birthday. I turned 29 again.

Usually I do my best to ignore my b-day. I do not celebrate. There is no reveling. Oh, there's usually chocolate, in the form of cake, and wine, natch...but those are obligatory measures, really.

But this year, I actually enjoyed my birthday! ...maybe it was the sambuca....

...And I'm not done yet; there has yet to be cake, and candles, and singing! Power outage killed my oven. More on that later.

First there was this:

'fess up Stash, you're one of those people whose toilet paper matches their bathroom, aren't you??? I knew it. And I'd use your bathroom anyday. (huge compliment, that.)

Why, yes, that s the Post Office scale in the background! Why, what do you use to prop up your objects d'art for their photo shoot??? (I was closed, btw)

I always thought I was a thoughtful person. And it either wore off, or I was deluded. Because I don't believe I was ever as thoughtful a person as Stash is.

She even threw in lollipops for the kids.

Wait- one is pink (red), one is blue.  Yeah, deluded.

How frickin' cute are these, I ask you??

Thank You very much Stash, for surprising me with such luvlies!!

But wait! I had other luvlies, too!!

It's weird that both packages were wrapped in CIRCLES. I have a circle obsession going on right now. I want to re-paint the post office. With giant circles. The girls were...reluctant, but I think I've swayed Em over to the ...round side. I'll show you why another day.

Have you seen these? Awesome way to keep the yarn out of the muck!

I've been using this for a few days, and I like it a lot. No fur turds in the yarn.

A cute little bear who will soon live on the xmas tree, a wrapped surprise, and a 'smelly'.

You know this went right into the Orient Heights train station, I mean the downstairs bathroom. 

Thing One took off with the bear as soon as she laid eyes on him. But she came back a few minutes later. (I confess, this was hours after I opened all this stuff. You'll see why this is important in a moment.)

She came back to show me this:

Apparently the bear came bearing gifts of his own. I never even noticed. Yikes.

She could have totally made off with that Joanne's gift card, and I'd never have known.

So stunned was I by the chocolate, I couldn't hold the camera steady.

Now.

I can only chalk this one up to the fact that I don't sleep much. I routinely stay up until 3am, and have to be up with the Things by 7. (I should be up by 6:30, with them....but it's more like 7.) I worked the night shift for...too many years. I'm sure I've lost brain cells from this. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

 When I unwrapped this, this just happened to be the position it was in. 

I was befuddled.

candle holder?

piggy bank with the stopper in backwards?

Thing Two asked what it was. I pretended I had a phone call to stall for time. He reached for it, and....

as soon as his little hand grabbed it, I realized it was a wine topper (stopper?)!

Hmmm, what does it say about me that I 'got it' when my son had it in his hand?

Wait, don't answer that.

Big Thank You's to Kissy and Stephen, Stephen J and Hawk for all the surprises!

And to Mother and Daddy, and Maria, and Auntie Ro and Uncle Spuzzy, too.

I haven't enjoyed my birthday in...no kidding, like 20 years. 

And Michele, I have a separate post for the gift you sent me. I've worn it every day since I got it. I really, really wanted one of these. It is already slightly battle-scarred, which is the point. But in order to show it, I have to take a picture of me in it. I'm working up the nerve.

It's NOT a string bikini, folks. Sorry to disappoint.